North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue compares her anti-gay state to Mississippi

By Michael J.W. Stickings

This past week, before her state's vote on Amendment One, North Carolina Governor Beverly Purdue, a Democrat, said that passing the amendment would be "bad for business," hurting the state's "brand." But she also rightly identified what the vote was really about, and that's more than just business: The vote on Amendment One was "about civil rights. It's about taking away rights of North Carolinians." It was "our Rosa Parks moment in North Carolina because it's about taking away civil rights."

And, yes, civil rights were taken away, much to the discredit of the entire state, even if many, including the governor, advocated valiantly against the amendment.

To her credit, Purdue -- who can speak freely in part because she isn't running for re-election, didn't let up as the week went on. On Friday, for example, she said this:

I think it's wrong for North Carolina, clearly and simply. People around the country are watching us and they're really confused, to have been such a progressive, forward-thinking, economically driven state that invested in education and that stood up for the civil rights of people, including the civil rights marches back in the '50's and '60's and '70's. Folks are saying what in the world is going on in North Carolina. We look like Mississippi.

Ouch. Mississippi. If that doesn't make North Carolinians shudder, I don't know what will.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/05/11/2058305/nc-governor-we-look-like-mississippi.html#storylink=cpy